Crank Position Sensor in '88 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme going out?

Question

I have a 1988 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme with only 67500 miles on it.

Randomly, (and more frequently now) my car has been going from running fine to running really choppy with real sluggish accelleration. And lately now it has been stalling more frequently and when I go to restart it, it will crank and crank with nothing happening, then later on it will fire right up.

Someone siad its my crank position sensor, are they right?

88 olds cutlass supreme, front wheel drive, automatic, 2.8 L, port fule injected.

normal pressure at fuel rail, fuel pump ok, throttle positon sensor ok, idle are ok, no vaccuum leaks, linkage ok, tranny ok.

Any help is appreciated.

Answer 1

You sound like you are experiencing a couple of problems as I read it. The one is an intermittent no start and an intermittent stall which are probably related. The other one is an intermittent misfire which could be related and might not. The best thing to do is to first get the PCM scanned for any codes stored. These can be clues as to what is ailing your car. If you can, have the scanner attached to the data stream when the car acts up. If the data goes haywire when the motor runs strange this indicate the PCM is faulty. This will sound stupid but if your car starts to misfire or not start, try whacking the PCM with a screwdriver and see if it smartens up or stalls. The boards inside these units often cracked and can be found by doing this. The PCM is located under the plastic cover inside the RF fender well. If it makes no difference, move on and assume that this is okay. For the misfire problem, the first thing to do is to take every spark plug out of the motor and inspect for carbon tracking on the ceramic part, corrosion, or for worn out electrodes. Any signs or undecided, just replace them. Next take a real good look at both ends of every spark plug wire and look for split connector covers or corroded internal connections. Replace the complete set if something is found. While you have the wires off at the coils, be sure the coil towers are not corroded too. The corrosion and carbon tracking is a very common problem so be sure. When you are satisfied that you have either found something and repaired it properly, recheck to see if that was the problem for everything or if the car still stalls and won't start at times. If this is the case, you have to determine if there is no spark or fuel pressure when you are cranking the motor. Let's say you are convinced that the motor is being supplied proper fuel pressure. When the car won't start, remove the front spark plug wires and check for maximum spark output while cranking the motor over. The spark should be strong and consistent on all the wires to ground. If you have one or more with no spark, you have a problem with the ignition module or crank sensor. If you have weak spark output, that particular coil is shorted internally and needs to be replaced. To determine if the crank sensor is the culprit. When the motor doesn't start, remove the connector from the module and check the resistance of the wiring and crank sensor, it should be around 900 ohms. If it is higher than that or open, you will need to check the other end of the wire to be sure that the connections are good. If they are, you will need a new crank sensor. If you are sure in all these tests that the crank sensor is good, the ignition module is your problem. Both of these caused me lots of grief so they are both weak points in this motor. They are both in the area where heat affects the way they operate and they both can be a source of intermittent problems. The crank sensor is fairly cheap, but can be a real bear to get out. The module is fairly expensive and is also not the easiest part to replace so Good Luck.

Answer 2

88 Cutlass Supreme

Answer 3

88 Cutlass

Answer 4

It could be the crank sensor or possibly it is the ignition control module. It is located just above the starter motor. The coil packs are mounted on this module

Answer 5

I have faith in you, It just takes some time and money, first things first, you know you need fuel and spark in the engine, smell or look for gas getting to the engine, by either pumping the gas pedal while turning the start key, Or even listening for the electric fuel pump pressurizing the fuel system. Then check for spark. they sell cheap spark testers, where you remove the spark plug wire, attach it, crank the engine, and watch for the voltage to jump the gap. .If you have all the requirements to satisfy combustion. next check to see if the timing chain or timing belt is broke, by moving the crankshaft and seeing if the valves move under the valve covers. if they dont move its broke.

Answer 6

I agree with Cruiser, because win it gets hot it stops working, then when it cools down it works again.

Answer 7

more then likely